Cardamom Ice Cream with Spiced Candied Pistachios

This cardamom ice cream with candied pistachios is a sweet and salty dessert with bold flavors!

It was a little over 10 years ago that I was sitting in my apartment on the Baltimore waterfront, feeling sad, lonely and confused. I knew I needed a change; something to brighten things up and bring some cheer to my daily existence. After sitting on an idea for years I finally decided to act on it. It was time. I wanted to adopt a cat.

I drove to the local pet store and picked up all of the necessities. With food, toys and a liter box in hand, I made my way to the Maryland SPCA, feeling both adrenaline and self doubt. Some days I felt like I could barely take care of myself. Would I be able to take proper care of another living creature?

A volunteer walked me into the kitten nursery where I was immediately overwhelmed with the sound of eager mews. Little cages were stacked long and high and kittens pawed through the holes, demanding attention. I felt overwhelmed and confused. They were all sweet, adorable and in need of a loving home. How was I supposed to pick one? I walked along, staring at the top row of kitchens, smiling at them, stalling for time. I could see kittens in every cage except for one near my feet. For some reason I decided to crouch down and peek inside the cage.

I was surprised to see that it wasn’t empty. A little grey cat was staring out at me with wide eyed curiosity from the back of the cage. We looked at each for a moment. “Can I play with this one?” I asked. The volunteer brought us into a small room where I sat down on the floor. The kitten stared at me for a moment and then walked over, head butted me in the knee and said “mew.” It felt like she was saying “I choose you.”

It was love at first head butt.

It wasn’t an easy first night. Once we got home I realized she had a bad cold. She pooped on my bed. That night I wound up taking her to a pet emergency room to make sure she was ok and to get medicine. But I never once doubted my decision from the moment I adopted. Sofi has brought so much joy into my life. She has been a sweet, fiercely loyal, sometimes irritating, often hilarious companion to me for these past 10 years. She’s a lap cat who demands cuddles every day. Years after adopting her I discovered I’m allergic to cats but having her in my life is worth the occasional inability to breath through my nose. She fills me with joy and has changed me for the better. Adopting a cat was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

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Cardamom Ice Cream with Spiced Candied Pistachios

This cardamom ice cream with candied pistachios is a sweet and salty dessert with bold flavors!

Course:
Dessert

Cuisine:
American, Indian

Servings: 81/2 cup servings

Author: Jennifer Farley

Ingredients

for the cardamom ice cream

1cupwhole milk

1cupheavy cream

splash of pure vanilla extract

3/4teaspoonground cardamom

6egg yolks

5ouncesgranulated sugar

for the spiced candied pistachios

2cupsroasted salted pistachios,shelled

1tablespoonunsalted butter,melted

3tablespoonsbrown sugar

1½tablespoonspure maple syrup

½teaspoonground cinnamon

1/8teaspoonground cayenne pepper

Instructions

prepare the ice cream

Add the milk, cream, and vanilla to a saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the cardamom. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.

Vigorously whisk the yolks and sugar together in a bowl. When the cream is just starting to simmer (don't boil it), slowly pour some of the liquid into the yolks while whisking.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir in a figure 8 motion with a wood spoon or rubber spatula for several minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool for several minutes, stirring periodically. Cover with plastic wrap that’s pressed directly against the liquid to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until very cold, preferably overnight.

Prepare ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions.

prepare the spiced candied pistachios

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and cayenne. Stir in the pistachios, coating to evenly combine, and then pour them onto the foil-lined baking sheet and spread them in an even layer.

Bake for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool and crisp up on the baking sheet.

Once cool, break the nuts apart or chop them coarsely.

Recipe Notes

I prefer serving the nuts on top of the ice cream but they can also be added directly to the ice cream machine toward the end of the churning process.

I’ve seen a lot of candied nuts, but never pistachios. So creative and so delicious sounding! Cardamom is such a lovely flavor and I’m seriously asking myself why I haven’t had it in ice cream before! :) Cats are so sweet; we’ve had both dogs and cats and my heart belonged to the cat. Their purring – I melt!

Hi Jenn. I love pistachios, and I love gelato. I’ m going to try this recipe and modify it for gelato. Would I be accurate to speculate that the above ingredient list yields two serving- at approximately 1 cup each?
btw- love your photos as usual.
Andre

Hi Andre. Thanks for the kind words! This recipe makes almost enough creme anglaise to fill my 1 quart ice cream machine, though it will yield less if the base is reduced. That’s why I hesitate to include a yield. I had a little over 3 cups.

This is such a lovely post, I’m pretty sure our pets choose us most of the time rather than the other way round don’t they? And this ice cream sounds just fantastic too; such a great combination of flavours.

I almost didn’t finish this post because when you started out talking about adopting a cat, I thought you might have just lost it and I didn’t want to cry. You see, I lost my Einstein in October and I still tear up when I think of him. We still have the Twins but I do miss my Sweet Baboo.

Thank you, Jennifer. We lost our old timers at 18, 22, & 24, so I thought I’d have more time with Einstein who was only 13. He got throat cancer and I just couldn’t put him through chemo & radiation. He was such a gentleman cat and he wouldn’t have wanted that. But you’re right; they are like our children, and I miss him so much. And he knew that he was loved.

What a sweet story! I am crazy allergic to cats so I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have one, but I do admire the strong bond between cats and owners! I love this flavor combination–I think cardamom doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. Gorgeous recipe, Jen.

I feel the same about my little guys, they have already brought so much happiness into our lives in the few months they’ve been with us and are a lovable and rambunctious duo that make me laugh and fill my heart every day.

Hi, I’m Jen

I’m a Maryland native living just outside of Washington DC. I graduated from culinary school in 2010 and have been cooking and baking professionally ever since. My goal at Savory Simple is to create everyday gourmet recipes that are easy to prepare at home. Thanks for visiting!

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